O marketing de relacionamento das instituições de ensino superior do Rio Grande do Sul: uma ferramenta para a fidelização dos stakeholders

Abstract

The following study attempts to list and analyze the relationship marketing strategies and tools adopted by the great status College Degree Institutions (CDI) of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as stakeholders’ exclusive adherence means. The importance of marketing in the present context reminds to the definition need of a set of elements to obtain a greater competitiveness face to the competitors. This so called greater organizational competitiveness leads the retention of relationship groups. As studying CDI, guiding conceptions to the understanding of this specific kind of organization are initially presented. First of all, for the definition of marketing actions, the organization has to agree to structure a clear and guided planning process, settled by a strategic philosophy in its way of thinking, which comes from the finding need of an efforts congruency, in a way to facilitate the labor synergy and the result reaching. This process settlement takes in concern the environmental evaluation (macro and micro environment), trying to identify interruptions and tendencies and to build plots through the opportunities, threats, strengths and shortcomings recognition. As a result, conditions for the development of traditional marketing factors are created (product, price, place and promotion), aiming to get competitive advantage, focusing exclusively on the customers fully satisfaction. All this culminates through the marketing relation components and factors usage linked to an effective management of the relationship range; what conveys to the arising of extremely appropriated conditions to the stakeholders’ adherence. This descriptive scientific study, guided by deductive and hypothetic-deductive methods has investigated 11 CDI in the state, starting from a qualitative research. The research technique guiding this study was the multi-case revision, from an open-close questionnaire answering. The organizations diagnosis was accomplished through the answers collection and checking, according to a statistic model, in contrast to the exposed theories. Among the main conclusions, the use of an organizational philosophy that guides the management of these institutions (mission, vision, values and objectives) could be verified. However, in concern to what refers to the marketing planning (target-market, traditional marketing actions – 4 P’s and relationship marketing basis – range factors, components an management) as a whole, an inconstant and barely formal usage of its ideals was realized. These assumptions could be more evidently observed in Public Institutions, but also in some Private Institutions. The theory basis, supported both by the methodology and the organizational diagnosis, allowed the abstraction of a specific strategic relationship marketing model to the management of the great status CDI in Rio Grande do Sul.